Send Me On My Way
by writerchic16
Summary: Monica is assigned to a woman recently divorced who needs guidance on how to cope, while Tess is assigned to the woman's overbearing sister who has a husband and three children.
1. Prologue

**Send Me On My Way**

A/N: I came up with this after wanting to write a TBAA fic, since the show is back on Hallmark channel (yay!). Monica's assignment is a character I'd already come up with for a Christmas one-shot I did maybe a month ago, but you don't need to read that to understand this. Likewise, in future chapters I plan to do a crossover with my other TBAA story _Stand By Me_, but you don't need to read that either. Of course, I'd appreciate it if you read both, but I've never been one to pressure people.

Anyway, this just popped into my head a few days ago, and I'm still in the process of deciding if I want to do it or not. As a little test I decided to get this out, and I think I'm leaning towards seeing it through. So, that said, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

A soft glow around her, Monica stood in angelic form in the corner of a large, open dining room. _Open and empty_, she thought, observing that it was only occupied by a few moving boxes. The space flowed through the bar counter into a granite kitchen. 

Monica's eye was drawn to that kitchen, where two women stood, each in their late twenties. One had wavy light brown hair, typical bright blue eyes and a thin frame. While the woman next to her…looked very familiar. She'd seen those grey eyes and that medium-length black hair before. But where…

"Penny for your thoughts, angel girl?"

"Hi, Tess!" Monica exclaimed, giving her former supervisor a hug. Now that they had both been promoted, it was a rare occasion that they worked on an assignment like old times. "I can't believe we're working together again!"

"I'm happy too, baby," Tess replied.

Once they separated, Monica frowned a little. "Though I'm worried about how Gloria will do on her own. She does have an assignment while I'll be working on this one."

"Don't you worry about her. She can fly on her own two wings," Tess said with conviction. Getting back to business, she looked back at the two women. "Any comments on those two?"

Monica's shoulders sagged, the frustration getting to her. "Tess, does she look familiar to you?"

"Which one?" Tess asked.

"The black-haired one in the jeans," Monica explained. "I've seen her before. I _know_ it. But I think she was one of my quicker assignments so it is possible I've just forgotten. I just feel so bad, Tess. Here I'm supposed to help this woman, yet I don't even remember when I'm sure I've met her. This has happened to you, right? There are no tales of angels getting senile?"

Tess chuckled before replying, "No, angel girl. I'm much older than you, and I remember what I need to remember. There's probably a reason for your temporary mental block, and it will be revealed in time. Relax, and listen while I tell you your assignment. What do you know already?"

"Well, I know the brunette one is twenty-eight-year-old Elizabeth Romero-Williams, my assignment's sister. So I guess she's yours?" Monica asked. When Tess nodded, she continued, "And the woman next to her is Emma Romero, who is three years younger. Emma just divorced her husband six months ago and needs help moving on. But that's all the information I received."

Her focus still on the women, Tess said, "It's much more than that. Emma has always been an insecure, reserved girl. Once she got to college, she married one of the first men who took an interest in her…and now she's realized her mistake. He cheated on her multiple times and now she's more of a mess than ever. She wants to get her act together, but she's intimidated by her sister's constant pressuring to do so and resists. Meanwhile, Emma never does anything without discussing it at length with her sister, and her job isn't what she'd like it to be."

"So…her _sister_ is my assignment too?" Monica asked, bewildered. This was not what she imagined her assignment to be like at all.

Tess shook her head. "No, you leave Elizabeth to me. Emma will be enough of an assignment, trust me, Miss Wings."

"I believe it," Monica said in a softer voice, observing her assignment closer. The two women were taking a break and having some tea. Emma sat on a stool on the other side of the bar, while Elizabeth leaned against the counter. Monica couldn't help but notice how the younger sister slouched a little while she stirred her tea with a metal spoon, and kept touching the sides of her eyes.

"Will you stop that?" Elizabeth was saying as they angels listened in. "You keep touching your eyes like that, every eligible bachelor you meet is going to think there's something wrong with you."

Emma put down her hand with determination and replied, "I know, I shouldn't, but I've worn glasses for the past ten years – these contacts feel weird. Besides, what eligible bachelor is going to be looking at me anyway?"

"And stop thinking like that! You're gorgeous – I'm sure guys will start asking you out the second you take off that darn wedding ring," Elizabeth chided, taking a sip of her tea.

Glancing at the mentioned ring on her finger, Emma confessed, "I'm scared to, Liz. It's like saying I've officially been dumped. And what guy wants that?"

The two women looked up as the side door opened and three young children, the oldest one no older than seven, ran into the dining room. The oldest and youngest were girls, while the boy looked to be about five. "Mommy, Mommy!"

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked, coming to stand next to her sister so she could see her children over the bar.

Flustered, he answered, "T-There's a…and we were…there's all this…"

"Swing!" The youngest, at the age of two, interrupted.

Feigning shock, Elizabeth gasped, "No, _really_? A swing?"

"Two of them. _And_ a club house," the oldest replied with a shy smile. "Daddy's still out back and said he'd stay with us if you said it was okay."

"Sure, go ahead. We can unpack when it gets dark," Elizabeth answered, laughing as her children nearly tripped over each other or their own feet in their hurry to rush back out the door.

Smiling, Emma said, "That proves it. I missed when they got about a million times cuter. Thank God you moved here before I committed any more similar heinous crimes.".

"Aw come on, you're their favorite aunt. How could I resist?" Elizabeth laughed.

"I'm their only aunt," Emma reminded her. Becoming serious for a moment, she added, "But I really do appreciate you moving so close to help me with everything."

Embracing her sister in a one-armed hug, Elizabeth replied, "Don't flatter yourself, Em. We were going to make the move from Florida eventually. There's only so many of Mom's guilt trips any sane person can take, you know?"

"You're preaching to the choir, Liz," Emma chuckled. Finished with their tea, they went back to unpacking boxes.

Meanwhile, Monica stood watching with a frown, though the young children had made her smile for a brief second. "I see what you mean, Tess."

Nodding, Tess explained, "Emma's going to need someone to help her take off that wedding ring…"

"…and it isn't going to be her sister," Monica finished, already wondering how she was going to approach her newest assignment.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Emma sat back in the secretary's chair the next day, enjoying the peace and quiet of the workspace. Since it was a large area with doors leading to the other agent's offices, the place was always crowded with secretaries like her. The setting drove her as of the past five months to come in an hour early to get in any work that would require her full attention. She didn't mind – with her marriage over, what else was there to do?

Turning on the office radio that usually piped soft rock music into the office, she hummed while she worked. Her spirits had been somewhat down, but the visit to her sister's new house picked them up. Being around family always made her feel better.

Some time later, a song came on that had been on the top ten list for a few weeks. The lyrics familiar, she sang, "'And he don't know…I dug my key into the side, of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats…'"

"Excuse me?"

Emma almost fell of her chair from embarrassment when she realized there was a woman standing in front of her. _I didn't even hear her sneak up. Well, that's what I get for singing along with the radio too loud._ "Uh, h-hi. Sorry about that, I was…"

"It's alright. I wish I could sing half as well as you," the woman laughed. "Trust me, you don't want me singing along to a radio."

Chuckling, Emma got over her small humiliation and said, "I'm sure you're not that bad. So, how can I help you…"

"Monica. And you are?"

At that, Emma stiffened, looking at the auburn-haired woman more closely. _Why does that name ring a bell?_ She thought. _Come to think of it, she _looks_ familiar. Where have I seen her before?_ "Emma. I-I'm sorry, but this is driving me crazy – have we met?"

"That's what I've been thinking!" Monica exclaimed, with more vigor than Emma was expecting. "I know I've seen you before…"

"Did you go to school around here?" Emma asked, trying to place her.

Monica shook her head. "I'm afraid that would be impossible. Oh well, I'm sure we'll think of it eventually."

"I'm sure we will," Emma agreed, then remembered something. "I'm sorry, how can I help you?"

"I'm Daphne Jameson's new assistant secretary," Monica answered.

Getting out of her seat, Emma's heart beat faster as she took in the information. "I-I'm sorry, but _I'm_ Daphne Jameson's secretary."

Monica nodded. "I know. That's why I said _assistant_ secretary."

"But Daphne never told me about this…" Emma argued, beginning to feel insulted. She always thought she and Daphne were more friends than co-workers. It hurt that Daphne would go hire another secretary, implying that she wasn't doing a well enough job. And it didn't help that Emma wasn't made aware of her new "help."

"She probably just hasn't gotten to telling you yet," Monica assured her. "I answered the ad somewhat quickly. She said it had only been up for a day."

Consoling herself with that information, Emma replied, "Oh, okay then, I guess I'll talk to her when she comes in. Did she happen to mention…"

"Oh, no, I'm too late!"

The two looked up as Daphne Jameson rushed into the office, smoothing her deep auburn hair as she joined them. "Forgive me, Emma. I wanted to tell you when I got in this morning, but I didn't realize that Monica would be here so early."

"I'm sorry," Monica said with worry. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I just thought it would be a more convenient time for you to show me what to do."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. At least her boss hadn't slighted her on purpose. "It's fine. I'm fine with it, really. It's just that, Daphne, if I'm not getting everything done you want I wish you'd told me first…no offense, Monica."

"None taken," Monica replied.

Glancing at her new secretary, Daphne pulled Emma to the side. "It's not that. You are, you're a wonderful secretary and I couldn't ask for better. But…I'm getting more business than ever, and it's clear that what work you've got now is taking a toll on you. I'm just worried about you, dear."

"Is it because of the divorce?" Emma asked, horrified at the possibility. "Because I can assure you that my personal life has no affect on…"

"No, no, no, not the divorce," Daphne replied, "I know you're not letting that bother you, but frankly, that's what worries me. I'd like to think of myself as your friend, too, and…as a friend, I have to say I'm worried about what you're doing to yourself. You're piling on the work and not stopping for anything else. The assistant stays, and as your boss, I'm ordering you to…take it _easy_. Well, easier than you've been. Am I understood?"

_You know you're overdoing it when your boss tells you to slow down,_ Emma thought. But that meant she'd be spending more time alone with nothing to do. Figuring that was her problem, she just smiled and answered, "Yes, Daphne."

"Good. Now eat some breakfast or something while I go in my office and tell Monica what she needs to know," Daphne said, opening the door to her office and going in.

On her way into the office, Monica paused at Emma's desk. "You know, I, ah, couldn't help but overhear…if you're looking for a friend to talk to, I'm a great listener."

"Uh, thanks," Emma replied. She returned to her desk, prepared to ignore her boss' advice and continue with paperwork. But the grumble in her stomach ordered her otherwise, so she took two bucks out of her purse and headed to the snack machine. _There's nothing like a candy bar to start your day right.

* * *

_

"Connor, where's that permission slip?"

"Get your shoes on, Katie!"

"Chloe, put down that hair dryer _now_!"

Elizabeth Wilson ran through the house like a mad woman, trying to get two out of three kids ready for camp in the morning. It helped that Chloe was still too young even for camp, but two was enough. And now she was in a bigger house, which meant more running. "Katie, Connor, I want you both in the foyer now!" She finally yelled as she went down the stairs. "Camp bus gets here in ten minutes!"

"Good morning, sweetie," Mark, her husband, greeted from the door to the dining room.

Kissing him, Elizabeth took a second to catch her breath. "Kids…upstairs…driving me crazy…you…go…yell…_loud_."

"We go through this every morning. Did you think a new environment would change that?" Mark laughed, kissing her with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Elizabeth saw the cup and grabbed it. "And I'll assume that's for me."

"You know what happens when you assume. It's mine…" Mark trailed off at her glare and sighed. "I can always pour myself another cup. Enjoy that."

"I will," Elizabeth replied, smiling in satisfaction as she drank. The momentary peace was interrupted by the doorbell. To herself, she muttered, "That better be Publishers Clearing House with a big check." A smile on her face, she opened the door to an aged African-American woman with graying black hair. "Hi. You're Tess, right?"

"That's right. You must be Mrs. Williams. So nice to meet you in person," Tess answered, stepping in the house when the other woman offered.

Relieved that the babysitter was there, Elizabeth replied, "Yes, I'm sorry that this has to be the first time. Normally my husband and I are a little more thorough in the interview process, but with the move we really haven't had the time. And please, call me Elizabeth and my husband Mark. With three kids, we're pretty informal around here."

"Understandable. So where is Chloe?" Tess asked, looking around the foyer. Her eye lingered on the mess of jackets and shoes in the corner, but didn't say anything and refocused her attention on her new employer.

Elizabeth blushed, knowing that her house wasn't spotless by any standards. But Tess would either have to deal with it or clean it herself, because she didn't have the time. "Uh, Chloe's upstairs, probably driving her siblings nuts as we speak. Hold on, I'll get her for you." Calling up the stairs, she yelled, "Chloe! Tess is here!"

A few minutes later a three-year-old appeared at the top of the stairs. Slowly, the blonde-haired, brown-eyed toddler made her way down to the foyer, holding on to the banister with all her might. Both to save time and to make her daughter more comfortable, Elizabeth scooped Chloe up in her arms. "Hey, sweetie, you remember me telling you about the lady who was going to come watch you while Mommy and Daddy are at work? Well, this is Tess. She's going to be taking care of you."

"Hi, baby. Aren't you a little angel?" Tess greeted, a warm smile on the face.

Chloe stared, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Hi, Tess. You play game?"

"Yes, I do. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together," Tess answered.

Elizabeth was surprised when Chloe squirmed, her sign that she wanted to be let down. Typically it took her daughter longer than two minutes for her daughter to warm up to someone. Taking it as a good sigh, she complied and smiled when Chloe ran to hold Tess' hand. "I see you two have already made friends."

"Honey, have you seen my briefcase…" Mark trailed off as he poked his head in the foyer. "Oh, hi, you must be Tess."

"Yes I am, And I think that's your briefcase over there," Tess replied, pointing towards the corner of the foyer. A briefcase covered with someone's light jacket sat on the floor.

Relieved, Mark retrieved his briefcase and explained, "We're usually a little more organized than this. New house, you know…"

Tess chuckled. "I know. Now, I understand that you're both therapists. Do you work together?"

"Yes, we decided to use the move as an excuse to open up our own office," Mark explained. "We usually leave at the same time, but sometimes I leave a few minutes early while she rounds up the kids."

"Well, that's what you have me for, isn't it? You two go ahead. I'll get Connor and Katie out the door when the bus comes," Tess offered.

Elizabeth traded glances with her husband, both happily surprised. They'd never had the best luck with babysitters in the past, so to realize they might have finally found a good one was a nice turn of events. "Oh, bless your kind heart. Let me just call them."

Within five minutes she and Mark were in the car on their way to work. "So what do you think?"

"Of Tess? Well, she's not some teenager who will throw a house party when we're gone, so I'm happy," Mark answered, a smile on his face. "Now go ahead, make the call."

"What?"

"Come on, you know you want to," Mark answered. "Call Emma on your cell. I know you can't go five minutes without telling her the latest thought that popped in your head."

"You know me too well," Elizabeth muttered, already searching for her sister's name on her contact list.

* * *

Tess leaned back in the front seat of the car, enjoying the reunion with her baby. True, Monica had loaned it to her only for babysitting purposes, but the feeling was nice just the same. Adjusting the rearview mirror, she asked, "Chloe, you okay?"

"Uh huh. I like this car," Chloe replied from her car seat in the back.

Chuckling, Tess replied, "Me too. You know, it used to be mine before I gave it to my friend, Monica. She's the one I'm taking you to meet."

"Oh. Is she fun?"

"Yes, baby. You'll like her, and I'm sure she'll love you," Tess answered. After spending the whole morning with the three-year-old, Tess started wondering how Monica was faring with her assignment. Since she couldn't "pop in" on the angel while she was babysitting, she called Elizabeth and got permission for a little field trip. The mother hadn't been worried, but did remind Tess to be back by three for when the bus dropped off Connor and Katie.

So now Tess parked in front of an office building with about ten stories and held Chloe's hand while they made their way up to Daphne's floor. Both she and Monica had been surprised to realize that one of their former assignments was their current assignment's boss. And Monica was somewhat hesitant o ask for the assistant position, since the last time they crossed paths, Daphne had nearly reported the angel to the school board. But both were relieved when Daphne welcomed Monica with open arms, and greeted Tess with friendliness as well.

Tess and Chloe emerged from the elevator to find a bustling open office area, with secretaries all either on the phone or a computer. Before she could do anything, Chloe broke into a run across the space, shouting, "Aunt Emma!" at the top of her lungs. Catching up, Tess introduced herself to the stunned young woman. "Hi, I'm Tess, your sister hired me to baby-sit this little one."

"Oh, yeah, she mentioned you when she checked in with me this morning. She does that a lot," Emma explained. "The little squirt hasn't been too much of a pain, I hope?"

Chloe shook her head, positioning herself on her aunt's lap. "No, I be a good girl."

"Somehow I don't believe you," Emma teased, tickling the girl's stomach until Chloe squealed from laughter.

Chuckling, Tess said, "She's been a little angel all morning. She loves her coloring books."

"Uh huh. And Candy Land," Chloe added.

Curious, Emma asked, "So what are you two doing here?"

"Actually, I believe my friend Monica works here now. I'm also an old friend of Daphne's, so I wanted to stop by," Tess answered.

"Oh, and now you're babysitting my niece. Small world," Emma said. "Well, both Monica and Daphne are in the office, so you can go right in. I was going to take my lunch hour now anyway so I'll watch Chloe."

"Thanks, baby," Tess replied, then she opened the door a crack and knocked softly. "Hi, mind if I come in?"

"Tess! What are you doing here? Where's Chloe?" Monica asked, bewildered by her former supervisor's appearance. Daphne stood next to her and nodded in acknowledgement.

Closing the door behind her, Tess explained, "I drove here with Chloe – Emma's watching her now. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay, Miss Wings, but since I can't just…well, 'check in' with Chloe, I had to turn it into a field trip."

"Check in? What do you mean?" Daphne asked. When Tess narrowed her eyes at her, Daphne paled as she got the meaning. "Oh you mean…oh. Never mind."

Monica let out an exasperated sigh. "For the last time, Tess, I'm a supervisor now. You don't need to check up on me anymore."

"Humor me, angel girl. How's it going so far?" Tess insisted. She hadn't been down on Earth to help Monica much ever since they were promoted, so in a way she still thought of herself as the former caseworker's supervisor. Old habits were definitely hard to break.

Shrugging, Monica explained, "Alright. We got off to a rough start, and we haven't really had time to chat."

"Sorry about that," Daphne said, a little embarrassed. "But assignment or not, the work has to get done."

Monica nodded. "And I understand that. But Emma isn't the most outgoing person. She's nice enough, yet it's hard just to keep up a conversation with her."

"She does do that – she's very quiet. She's worked for me for years, but only when we crossed that line into friendship did we have a full conversation," Daphne added.

"But, Tess, it's only the first day. Actually, it's only been the first six hours," Monica said with a reassuring smile. "So stop worrying."

Tess hesitated for a moment, trying to come up with something else to ask Monica. But since she wasn't the supervisor, she realized that there wasn't anything more she needed to say. Annoyed that she couldn't have talked herself out of making this pretty much useless trip, she said, "I'll try. I guess Chloe and I will be going then…"

"Actually," Monica interrupted. "I was going to ask Emma to go to lunch, and…having two angels there couldn't hurt."

Considering the offer, Tess reasoned that Emma wasn't her assignment, and she should just stay out of it. However, if Emma was shy, maybe having another person, and her niece, around might break the ice. "That sounds like a good idea." She was about to suggest that they go when she spotted a picture on Daphne's desk. "Oh, Daphne, how's Chris doing?"

"Much better," Daphne answered, beaming as any proud mother would. "He's making so many friends. But him and Fi are inseparable, of course – always together. He's even slept over her house on more than one occasion, especially since school ended. And Jacob is becoming like a father to him. You and your friends did wonders last year…speaking of which, how are Andrew and Gloria?"

"Both wonderful. Andrew's the same, but Gloria really is growing as a caseworker," Monica answered, also with some maternal pride at that last part.

"I would guess that they aren't working with you on this from the sound of it…are they?" Daphne asked.

Tess shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. But you never know." With that, they said their good-byes to Daphne and left to ask her secretary out to lunch.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Setting the tea kettle on the lighted stove, Emma pulled two mugs from the cabinet. After work that day, she'd come home to find a message on her machine from Elizabeth, saying that she'd be over after work with the kids. The phenomenon was expected. Ever since Elizabeth decided to move back, she also chose to cut her work day just a few hours shorter than her husband's. She'd claimed that it was so she could spend more time with the kids and get the house clean, but so far she'd chosen to spend her free time at her sister's house. And talking about their day over a hot cup of tea was just a tradition they'd carried on since their childhood.

Personally, Emma wouldn't mind the frequent visits. The house was big enough for three kids to run around in. True, she was only one person, but after living in an apartment with her ex-husband for so many years, she decided to upgrade. She'd felt so suffocated in the apartment, that even when her husband left, she felt she wouldn't be happy unless she had more room.

It was more than just that she had room in the house, though. Elizabeth's visits were often the highlight of her day. During her marriage, she grew apart from her own friends to fit in with her husband's. Now, she had no husband, and no friends. She was at the most lonely point in her life, and she didn't want to stay there. But she wasn't like her sister where she could just go anywhere and make dozens of friends. The idea of trying to create a new social life for herself absolutely terrified her.

Minutes later, the kettle whistled. As she turned off the stove she checked her watch.

_Three…two…one…_

Sure enough, there was a loud string of anxious knocks and doorbell rings. Emma chuckled to herself, imagining her sister telling Connor and Katie to stop it before their fingers fell off. "I'm coming!" she called, opening to the door to her sister and her kids.

There was a chorus of "Hi, Aunt Emma!" as the kids ran into living room. Connor and Chloe made a bee-line for the hallway, but Katie stopped at smiled at her aunt. "Can we play in the backyard?"

"Sure, kid, go ahead. Don't scream too loud though – I got complaints from the neighbors the last time you were here," Emma teased, chuckling when Katie instantly lost all composure and dashed after her siblings. Smiling, she began making tea for her sister first, then herself.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth stood at her side, staring at her with a curious eye. "Why are you in such a good mood? What happened at work today?"

"Nothing really," Emma said with a shrug, handing Elizabeth the steaming mug. "But your babysitter, Tess, I think her name was? She stopped in with Chloe. Then her and Monica invited me out to lunch, with Chloe of course. I don't know, it was just fun. They're both very nice."

Stirring her tea with a small spoon, Elizabeth sat down at the kitchen table. "Oh, that's nice…wait, who's Monica?"

"That's right, I didn't get a chance to tell you. Daphne hired a new assistant," Emma explained.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "But aren't _you_ her assistant?"

"See, I panicked at first too," Emma answered with a laugh. "But then Daphne assured me that she was just hiring Monica as an extra pair of hands while business was good. So, after some initial awkwardness, I showed Monica the ropes and we ended up getting along pretty well. She's a little talkative though, and you know how I like quiet when I work."

Taking the information in for a second, Elizabeth grinned at her sister. "So…when are you asking Monica to hang out?"

"What?" Emma asked.

"You've been looking for a social life," Elizabeth explained. "I say, if I were you, I'd drag Daphne and Monica out to a bar on Friday night, and there you go. Maybe pick up a few guys – kill two birds with one stone, you know?"

Emma glared at her. "You're talking to me like I'm some anti-social adolescent and you're my mother."

"Well stop acting like one and I'll return the favor," Elizabeth retorted.

"I don't know," Emma said. "They probably already have things to do. And no guys will hit on me if I still have my wedding ring on."

Letting out a deep sigh, Elizabeth replied, "I hate to point out the obvious, but you could remedy that latter problem in a second if you just…took the ring off."

Emma shook her head, her heart beating faster. _There she goes again_, Emma thought. No matter how much she argued, Elizabeth just didn't _get_ that Emma had a problem with moving on from her marriage. Elizabeth didn't understand that while it was true that Emma no longer loved her ex-husband, she wasn't prepared to admit that she was now completely on her own. "Liz, stop it, okay? When I'm ready, I'll do it. I've told you that a hundred times."

"Okay, fine, I'll stop. Though I still think it's crazy that you say you're lonely, yet you won't _do_ anything…" Elizabeth trailed off at her sister's angry look. "Right. Stopping now."

After a moment of awkward silence, Emma cleared her throat and asked, "So…how was it when you got home? Did everything work out with Tess?"

Her eyes lighting up, Elizabeth's tone was excited as she answered, "Fantastic! Not only did Chloe absolutely _love_ her, but she cleaned most of the house, too. Dishes done, floors swept, shoes and jackets put away. There was even a casserole in the oven for dinner. I swear, she's an angel sent from above."

"From what you're telling me, I wouldn't be surprised," Emma chuckled. The tension vanished, she and Elizabeth continued to sip their tea while they told each other stories about their day.

* * *

The next day at work, Monica tried her best to talk with her assignment as much as possible. But there was still that awkward silence after every conversation. She learned fast that Emma didn't like to talk while she worked, which was something that worried Monica. After all, how would she complete the assignment if she couldn't speak with her?

Sometime during the day, Monica went into Daphne's office with the intention of dropping off some papers. "Here's that mailing list you wanted."

On the phone, Daphne nodded and signaled Monica to wait for a second. "Of course…alright, see you Friday," she said into the phone, then hung up and turned her full attention to the angel. "Thanks, Monica. I actually wondering if I could ask you something."

"Sure, go ahead," Monica replied, her curiosity piqued.

With a sheepish smile Daphne explained, "I'm having Chris' family birthday party on Friday night, and was wondering if you and your friends want to come. I thought it would be a long shot, but Chris has been talking about Gloria and since you're here anyway…"

"I'd love to come, and I'm sure Tess will too," Monica replied, smiling. _Daphne really has come a long way_, she thought, remembering a few months ago when there would've been no close family to invite to such a party. "But Gloria and Andrew are on their own assignment. I can see where they are and ask them, though."

Daphne frowned a little at the last part, but got over it and replied, "Well, it's great that at least you and Tess can make it. I know everyone would love to see you again."

"Just out of curiosity…who is 'everyone'?" Monica asked.

"Oh, you know most of them," Daphne assured her. "Jacob, his family and my parents. Adriana said she, her husband, and Fi would be able to make it too. Fi would be coming to the kid party the next day, but she's practically family by now anyway. Besides, I want some kids to be there or it won't be much fun for Chris."

Monica nodded, looking forward to the party more with each guest mentioned. It was always such a treat to see former assignments again. Then she remembered her current assignment and got an idea. "Daphne…were you thinking of inviting Emma? If she's been working for you this long, she must be familiar with your family."

Hesitating for a moment, Daphne replied, "Well, honestly, I was thinking about it. But I've tried to ask her to a party or two in the past and she's always turned me down."

"I think she'll say yes this time," Monica said, already forming a small plan. "You just wait a few minutes or so after I leave, alright?"

Daphne shrugged. "You're the miracle worker."

"Trust me on this one," Monica replied with a chuckle. A friendly smile on her face, she approached the desk she and Emma now shared. "So how are you doing with the latest pile of work?"

Barely looking up at Monica, Emma answered, "Okay. That long lunch break we took put me behind schedule."

"I'm sure between the two of us, we can get it all done before the end of the day," Monica said, taking a seat at the chair on the opposite side of the desk. "So…" she began, attempting to sound casual as she started to do work. "…what do you do on weekends?"

Her eyes still on her work, Emma answered, "Um, nothing much. Hang out with Liz for the most part."

"Don't you like to let loose on the weekends though? Have some fun with your friends? Manhattan is only a train ride away – it's easy for someone like yourself to go wild," Monica insisted.

Emma let out an impatient sigh as she replied in a short tone, "I haven't really socialized much since my divorce. When you go through something like that, it's hard to bounce back. It's been difficult to get to this point."

"But now that you're at 'this point,' what's stopping you?" Monica asked. She knew this constant pressure was making Emma uncomfortable, but she had to keep at it. If Monica didn't ask these questions, then Emma wouldn't stop to ask herself any of them…

Like she was now. Finally Emma stopped working for a brief second, staring at Monica with a mixture of anger and realization that the angel might be right. She never got to express either emotion, however, as Daphne chose that moment to walk out of her office.

"Hey, you two, I just wanted to ask you something…" she trailed off, sneaking a questioning glance at the angel. When Monica nodded, Daphne continued, "Would you like to come to my son's birthday party on Friday night? I'm having the kid party on Saturday, so it would just be family and friends of the family."

Monica glanced at Emma and saw that the woman was thinking it over and leaning towards "no, thank you." To help sway her answer, Monica quickly replied, "That sounds wonderful, Daphne. I'll be there."

"I g-guess if Monica's going…" Emma paused, not quite ready to give in yet. "Will Adriana be there?" To Monica, she explained, "Daphne introduced us a while ago, and I see her with Fi sometimes when I'm at the park."

Nodding, Daphne answered, "Yes, she and Fi are coming."

Emma considered for another long, agonizing moment, then finally let out another sigh. "Okay, sounds fun. Excuse me." Then she got up from the desk and headed for the bathroom, her cell phone in hand.

"She's probably going to call her sister," Daphne noted with a disapproving frown.

Giving her a reassuring smile, Monica said, "It's going to take some time – this is a step in the right direction. You did a good thing, Daphne." Trying put aside their anxiety over Emma, they both went back to work.

* * *

"No problem, Mrs. Scott. I'll keep you updated," Elizabeth said into the phone in her new office. She couldn't enjoy it, though. New patients were practically breaking down her door. Today marked her first meeting with depressed patient Evan Scott, and she was now talking to his closest relative – his cousin. "Evan is going through a rough spot, but with your support we can get him through. Talk to you on Thursday."

Elizabeth massaged her forehead once she hung up the phone, feeling a headache coming on. It was well past one in the afternoon, yet she hadn't even thought about taking a lunch break. She was about to go check to see if Mark was ready for lunch when there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

One of her new assistants, Gloria, poked her head in the room. "Hi, Elizabeth. How'd your meeting with Evan go?"

"Good, but we've got a lot of work to do," Elizabeth answered. Then she wrinkled her brow at Gloria's strange hesitance to come in. "You don't have to stand there. Come on in."

Gloria moved into the room, but didn't stray far from the door. "Actually, um, you know that specialist I recommended?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered. After meeting with Evan this morning, Gloria had suggested they bring in a friend of hers who specialized those suffering from depression. Given her workload, Elizabeth figured an extra therapist couldn't hurt.

Finally Gloria stepped aside, pulling in a handsome young man. "This is Andrew."

"Hello, nice to meet you," Andrew said, shaking the hand she held out.

As she shook his hand, Elizabeth was grateful that Mark wasn't there. He definitely would've noticed her checking out her new employee. "Well, hello there. Are you married…I mean, _managing_ to adjust to your new office?"

"It's very nice," Andrew answered with a chuckle. "And I'm not married."

"Oh, really?" Elizabeth nearly purred. In her mind, she was already picturing where she would send Andrew and her sister on their first date.

For some reason, Gloria could barely contain a giggle, while Andrew's face turned a deep shade of red. "Andrew's a little modest."

"It's true," Andrew agreed with a small shrug.

Elizabeth's smile widened. "Then you'd be _perfect_ for my sister. She's a little shy, but she's great once you get to know her."

"Oh, n-no, I couldn't," Andrew protested.

"Well, why not?" Elizabeth argued, then frowned. "Oh, you're not gay, are you?"

"What? No! I-I mean, I don't have a problem with that, but I'm _not_…well, you know," Andrew stuttered.

By now, Gloria was almost doubled over with laughter. Through her giggles, she managed to explain, "Let's j-just say…that A-Andrew…is already otherwise committed."

"Okay then," Elizabeth replied, deciding that she didn't want to know what that meant. "So, anyway, I was just about to get Mark and go to lunch. You two want to come?" When they both accepted the invitation, she told them she'd be right back as she stepped into the hallway. Once she closed the door, she shook her head when Gloria's laughter could suddenly be heard once again.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry, but I just realized I went back and forth on Elizabeth's last name, probably because I subconsciously hadn't decided on it yet. For the record, it's officially "Williams." Again, sorry about that.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"Chloe, put that down!" Katie Williams said, taking the decorative figurine from her little sister's hand and carefully placing it back on the nearby table. The two were at their aunt Emma's house, and sneaked in the living room from the backyard, where their mother thought they were.

But her mother had said they were leaving soon, and Katie just remembered that she'd left her favorite doll there a few days ago. When it wasn't in the spare bedroom, she remembered that she'd brought it in the living room when she was playing tea party. "Come on, Hannah, where are you?" she muttered, looking through a cabinet.

"Hannah?" Chloe asked, sitting next to her on the floor. While Connor was fine with waiting in the backyard, Chloe had insisted on coming.

Katie nodded, whispering, "Yeah. I left my _Hannah Montana_ doll here on Tuesday, and I want to bring it to camp tomorrow for show-and-tell."

"But I wanted to play with her tomorrow!" Chloe whined.

Rolling her deep brown eyes, Katie argued, "But my friend Fi got one for her birthday a few weeks ago, and she wants to play with them together. You can play on the weekend."

"But then Tess won't be there!" Chloe said, her lower lip forming a pout.

"Okay then. I'll leave the doll on Monday. That way, I can take it tomorrow, and you can still show it to Tess," Katie reasoned, letting out a few, deep calming breaths. She would normally argue more, but she didn't want her mom to know she was in here. Both her mom and aunt Emma were in the kitchen, and they sounded like they were having a fight.

Shaking her head to get her light brown, almost blonde hair out of her face, Katie moved further into cabinet under the TV. "It has to be in here…wait, Chloe, can't you and Tess play with your _Hannah Montana_ doll?"

Chloe still pouted. "Mine doesn't sing like yours."

"Only because you kept pressing the button until it broke," Katie reminded her. Under her breath, she added, "Thank goodness."

"_No, Elizabeth!"_

Katie paused her searching to listen for why her aunt Emma sounded so mad. Chloe also stopped her whining and glanced in the direction of the kitchen.

"_Emma, it's not like I'm asking that much! It's just one date!"_

"_How many times am I going to have to say 'no' before it gets through your head?"_

"_But his name is Andrew, he's _really_ cute. Gloria said he was 'otherwise committed,' but I'm sure if I ask him enough he'll agree to one date."_

"_Once more, apparently. _No_!"_

"_Come _on_, Em! Maybe not a date, but at least go hang out over the weekend. I never realized how much you moped around the house until I moved here. And I'm glad I did."_

"_Well, for your information, I _do_ have plans this weekend. Daphne invited me to her son's family birthday party and I told her I'd go!"_

"_That's wonderful! Good for you!"_

"…_oh, be quiet…"_

Hearing footsteps, Katie panicked and bumped her head on the top of the cabinet, the doll in her hand. Tears in her eyes from the pain, she dropped her doll on the rug –

"The other side, the other side, I want you to see…"

"No, no!" Katie whispered as Hannah Montana's voice came out of the doll. She quickly pushed the button, but it wouldn't stop.

"The other side, the other side, the other side of me…"

Clutching the doll in one hand and Chloe in the other, Katie made a mad dash for the spare bedroom. As she made it to safety in the hallway and closed the see-through dividing door behind her, she overheard her mother ask, "Emma, did you hear something?"

"Yeah. The kids probably left the Disney Channel on in the living room."

Katie breathed a sigh of relief as she and Chloe met up with Connor in the backyard. He barely glanced up at them while he kicked a soccer ball around. "Hey. What took you so long?"

"Couldn't find Hannah," Katie explained, keeping the doll in her hand while she stole the ball and kicked it back to Connor. "And I wanted to show her to Fi tomorrow. If I didn't have it then, I would've had to wait until Chris' birthday on Sunday."

Pausing with the ball under his foot, Connor remarked, "Fi's weird." Then he kicked the ball to his sister.

"She is not!" Katie argued, catching the ball with her feet again and kicking it back. The two continued their game of passing the ball as they talked, with Chloe watching on the sidelines playing with the dolls she'd brought. "Fi is not weird! She's nice!"

"But weird. She talks about angels a lot. She said _Tess_ was one. Tess isn't an angel – she's our baby-sitter," Connor pointed out.

Katie thought about that, kicking the ball between her feet before passing it to her brother. While it did make sense that Tess wouldn't be an angel, she couldn't find it in heart to completely disagree. She and Chloe agreed that there was something different about their new baby-sitter, and she could tell that Connor agreed, even though he didn't show it. "Whatever," Katie finally said. "Fi is not weird."

"Is too."

"Is not. Times infinity."

"Aw!" Connor pouted. "Why'd you stop it?"

Katie shrugged. "I felt like it."

They looked up as their mother stepped onto the porch and called, "Kids! You had your warning five minutes ago. We're going now – come in and say good-bye to Aunt Emma. You won't see her until Monday."

"Okay, Mom," Katie replied. Her grip tight on her doll, she led the way back into the house.

* * *

Elizabeth pulled up to her house on Friday, barely checking to make sure she wasn't hitting the curb before jumping out her door. It was around five, which meant she was an hour late. Bursting into the house, she called, "I am _so_ sorry, Tess, you probably have a million places to be and I just screwed up the rest of your night…"

As she skidded into the dining room, she trailed off, amazed at the site. There was no impatient baby-sitter glaring at her, tapping her foot with impatience and threatening to charge double for over time. Instead, she found all three of her kids sitting at the table.

And they were _eating_.

Gawking, Elizabeth numbly walked further into the room. Each of her children was working hard to clean their plates, which had remnants of what looked like pasta and tomato sauce. Of course, they chatted with and teased each other while they ate, but…there was _peace_. And they were eating _dinner_. Dinner that she now didn't have to cook.

If she didn't believe in miracles before, she did now.

After each of the kids got up out of their seats to hug her hello, then went back to their dinner, Tess emerged from the kitchen. "Elizabeth, I hope you don't mind, but it was getting late so I thought I'd make them dinner. You don't mind, do you?"

_Mind? _Elizabeth thought in amazement. _She thinks I'd _mind_? The organization who brainwashes all other available babysitters into incompetence must not have gotten to her yet._ "W-what…h-how…whatever you did to my kids to make them sit down and eat…can you tell me how to do that?"

Tess let out a hearty laugh. "It's nothing I did – they're just tired after a long week at camp. And Chloe and I were so busy today that she never took her nap…again, I hope you don't mind."

"N-no, not at all," Elizabeth managed to say, still in disbelief. _And now Chloe's going to fall asleep early. This woman _is_ an angel._ "U-uh, like I was saying, Tess, I'm _so_ sorry I was late. Work was hectic, and Mark had a doctor's appointment in the middle of the day, so he'll be there late too…"

Waving a dismissive hand, Tess assured her, "Don't worry about it, baby. You want some pasta?"

"Sure," Elizabeth answered, feeling her stomach growl. For the first time since she skipped lunch that day, she was realizing just how hungry she was. "You know, Tess, now that I'm here, you can go if you want."

Tess shrugged. "I don't want to. Now, would you like me to make you some tea?"

"Yes, please," Elizabeth answered, perching on one of the stools and facing Tess. _This is surreal. And so wrong – I'm not paying her to be my maid._ Still, she couldn't help but dig into the plate as it was placed in front of her on the dividing counter. _Oh Lord, but this is so, _so_ good…_"Tess! Where did you get this sauce?"

Her smile modest, Tess explained, "I brought it from home."

"You _made_ this?"

"Well, I learned from the best," Tess answered. "I was in Italy years ago and learned from a friend I made there."

"You were in _Italy_?" Elizabeth exclaimed. Though feeling foolish over her childish excitement, she was just beginning to realize how much she didn't know about her kids' newest babysitter.

Tess nodded. "It was a _long_ time ago, though. In fact, I was surprised I was able to remember the recipe."

"I'm glad you did," Elizabeth replied, taking another big bite. "Because this is amazing. From what I saw, I think the kids may actually finish what's on their plates."

Pointing towards the living room table, Tess remarked, "I think they already did."

Elizabeth peered at the table over the counter, seeing that Tess was right – the kids were gone, headed up to their rooms, their clean plates left behind. Before Tess could move, Elizabeth jumped out of her seat and headed for the plates. "No, no – you made dinner, you're making me tea. At least let me clean up, otherwise I will feel like the horrible mother you probably think I am."

"I do not think any such thing," Tess assured her, laughing. "Oh, I should tell you that Emma called to tell you she's leaving for the party at six, and wants you to call her before then."

"Oh, thanks." Sighing, Elizabeth remembered her sister's plans for that night with mixed emotions. True, it was great that Emma was getting out. But hanging out with her boss' family was not what she had in mind. She'd feel much better if her sister agreed to that date with Andrew.

_Not that _he_ agreed it yet,_ Elizabeth admitted to herself. _But it's only a matter of time. After all, how important can his "other commitment" be that he can't go on one lousy blind date?_ She was sure the two were perfect for each other. And it might be her imagination, but she could've sworn that Andrew was warming up to the idea. Instead of becoming uncomfortable and stuttering when she asked him that day, he just gave her a weak "no" as he shook his head. _I'm wearing him down. I know it._

Looking at her with concern, Tess asked, "Are you okay, baby? You've seemed stressed ever since you walked through the front door."

"It's nothing, really. You must have enough of your own problems…" Elizabeth trailed off, losing her resolve at Tess' steady gaze. "Okay, um, I suppose you've heard about the situation with my sister?"

Thinking, Tess answered, "Yes, I think the kids have mentioned it a few times over the course of the week. How aunt Emma divorced 'cool Uncle Shawn'?"

"Well, 'Uncle Shawn' had a motorcycle and taught Connor to belch the alphabet. Of course he's 'cool Uncle Shawn," Elizabeth explained, not without some resentment. Even now, when other people asked her son his name, she had to remind him to _spell it_, not make the other person pass out from the fumes. "But in the adult world, we consider him a class-A jerk."

"What happened?" Tess asked. The kettle whistled, and Tess poured a cup. "How do you take your tea, baby?"

Distracted, Elizabeth almost didn't hear her. "What? O-Oh, right – milk, two sugars. Thanks."

"No problem," Tess replied, handing Elizabeth the steaming mug.

Taking a much-needed sip, Elizabeth gulped it down and explained about Emma's disastrous marriage to Shawn, who clearly wasn't her soul mate, and unpleasant divorce. "…honestly, I can't wrap my mind around why she married him in the first place."

"There must be some reason," Tess pressed, her own cup of tea in hand.

Elizabeth shrugged, realizing a bit too late that she probably shouldn't be gossiping about her sister's business. But there was just something about Tess that made her feel like a little kid again, coming home to tell her mother about her day at school. Of course, _her_ mother barely listened, always on the phone with friends or grumbling about doing housework. That thought in mind, Elizabeth decided to take full advantage of Tess' willing ear and pressed on. "I don't know, she says that he brought out this 'other side' of her. All I know is that it gave her some magic excuse to hang out at a bar until all hours in the morning, and now I have to pick up the pieces."

Raising an eyebrow, Tess asked, "Have to? You feel like you're responsible for her?"

"Well, she _is_ my sister," Elizabeth reminded her, but still felt a little shame as she circled the rim of her mug with her finger. Mark always told her she was too involved with Emma's business, but she always dismissed it. "Mom and Dad don't care, off traveling or whatever the heck retired people do. I love my sister, and I'm worried about her. So I made sure I'm here to help her get back on her feet."

Tess thought for a long moment, finishing her tea and putting the cup in the sink. On her way out, she paused at the door into the dining room and looked back at Elizabeth. "I don't know your sister, but from what I _do_ know, she's a big girl. If you aren't there _all_ the time to push her to move on, I'm sure she'll find a way there by herself."

"I don't know about that. She's never been one to take care of herself," Elizabeth explained, squirming at Tess' eerily all-knowing gaze.

Giving her a reassuring smile, Tess replied, "You never know. Maybe it's her time to surprise you." Heading towards the front door, she called, "See you Monday!"

"Have a good weekend, Tess!" Elizabeth shouted back, left in a contemplative state that had her staring into her empty mug.

She shook her head as she put her mug in the sink. The advice Tess gave may have been sound, but Elizabeth moved her family all the way up to New York from Florida to be near her sister in her time of crisis. Emma was getting her help whether she wanted it or not.

* * *

Standing on her boss' front porch, Emma let out a few deep breaths. "Ten…nine…eight…" she said, trying to calm her jittery nerves. Even after spending a half hour on the phone with her sister, she still wanted to turn around on her heel and get back in the car.

"Are you okay, Aunt Emma?"

Emma looked down at Katie, who was equipped with a child-size pocketbook filled with toys to share. After thinking about it all day, Emma decided she wasn't ready to show up at a party alone yet, but she wasn't ready to bring a date. Bringing her niece was her only other option. As an added bonus, Katie provided an easy excuse to leave early.

And it wasn't like she dragged the kid into the car, kicking and screaming. While on the phone with her sister, Elizabeth mentioned that Katie was bouncing off the walls in anticipation of that party on Sunday. That gave Emma the idea to ask to bring her niece. After Emma reasoned that bringing a little kid along would help break the ice with a room full of people she didn't know, Elizabeth agreed. Katie was so excited that she was ready and waiting by the door when Emma picked her up.

Emma would've brought Connor too, but he muttered something that sounded like "Fi's weird" and headed back up to his room.

"Aunt Emma?"

Realizing she never answered Katie's question, Emma replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. Remember what your mom said?"

"Yeah. Be on my best behavior and don't touch anything," Katie recited.

"Good girl," Emma said with a chuckle. Taking another deep breath, she added, "Let's get this over with, then," and rang the doorbell.

The door opened a moment later to reveal Daphne, dressed in a formal skirt and blouse. "Emma! So glad you could make it! Come in, please – can I get you something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Emma replied, still clutching her niece's hand as they walked in the average-sized house. "I hope you don't mind that I brought Katie. I know you said it was alright on the phone –"

Giving Emma a reassuring smile, Daphne interrupted, "Please, she's welcome any time." She then bent down so she was eye-level with Katie, who had become shy and held on to her aunt's pant leg. "Hi, Katie! I'm Daphne, Chris' mom. He and Fiona are upstairs if you want to play with them. They should be coming downstairs soon though."

"Thank you," Katie managed to squeak, then ran up the stairs to find her friends.

"Second door on your right!" Daphne called after her.

Embarrassed, Emma explained, "She's a little shy around strangers. But she warms up after a while."

"Takes after her aunt, does she?" Daphne joked.

Blushing, Emma answered, "I guess."

"Well, I have some hostess duties to attend to," Daphne said, guiding Emma into the living room, the main area for the party. It was already about a quarter-full with guests.. "But as you can see, there are plenty of guests already here, so go mingle. If you need a familiar face later on, Adriana, Monica and I will be in the kitchen getting dinner ready."

"Thanks," Emma almost whispered, feeling her throat close up at the sight of all those strangers. Most were in small groups, so Emma stood there for a moment, not quite knowing what to do. Spotting a buffet table against the wall covered with appetizers, Emma wove her way through the crowd towards it.

When she reached for a potato chip, she didn't notice that a man's hand was already in the bowl. She quickly grabbed a chip and lowered her eyes. "Oh, sorry."

"No harm done," the man assured her, giving her a warm smile. "Hi, I'm Andrew."

Emma gaped at him for a moment, Elizabeth's voice echoing through her mind. _His name is Andrew, he's really cute…_ Then she shook her head. _There's no way this can be the same Andrew._ "Oh, uh, hi, I'm Emma."

"Emma…that sounds familiar…" Andrew said. "Wait, you're Monica's coworker, aren't you? I'm a friend of hers."

"Oh. Good friends?" Emma asked.

Nodding, Andrew answered, "Very good friends. We worked together for a long time."

"Worked together?" Emma asked, surprised. She couldn't help but wonder how Monica got from an apparently steady job to working as an assistant. "Doing what?"

Andrew hesitated, then explained, "Helping people. Right now I'm working as a therapist in a local office. It's run by Mark and Elizabeth Williams."

"Oh my _God_," Emma groaned, putting her face in her hands. _I'm really beginning to hate coincidences. But Liz was right – he _is_ cute._ With an incredulous laugh, she explained to a now confused Andrew, "Elizabeth is my sister."

His face paling, Andrew sputtered, "Y-_you're_ Elizabeth's _sister_? The one she was trying to…oh…I'm sorry, I-I – "

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Emma interrupted. "She had no right to pressure you like that, and I can assure you that there are no hurt feelings on my part. I can only imagine how uncomfortable she must have made you. She can be pushy like that."

Andrew lowered his eyes and squirmed where he stood. "Well, I wouldn't say _pushy_. She just…cares about you."

"She can care about me without putting eligible bachelors on the spot," Emma argued.

"Yeah, well…" Andrew trailed off, his gaze resting on the foyer. He smiled with relief when he spotted someone. "Oh, that's my friend Gloria. I'll talk to you later."

Emma nodded in acknowledgement, watching as he nearly ran out of the living room. "No, that wasn't awkward at all. Thank you so much, Liz," she muttered, taking another chip and chewing down on it hard.

* * *

A/N: Okay, with all the kids in here, I couldn't go the whole story without at least referencing the Disney Channel. And since my seven-year-old sister Lindsay is obsessed with her, I decided to give Katie a _Hannah Montana_ doll. The song the doll sings is called _The Other Side of Me. _I have to admit I'm jealous of Katie - Lindsay hasn't broken her doll yet.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Making her way though the crowd, Gloria found herself having a great time seeing this particular group of people again. She'd spotted Andrew heading towards her, but was soon distracted by other guests. While catching up with Daphne, Gloria kept an eye out for her former assignment. "It was so nice of you to invite me tonight, Daphne. Where's Chris?"

"He should be down soon. I just called up that you were here," Daphne answered, smiling. "I'm just so happy you could make it. Chris has been asking about you non-stop since I told him Monica would be working at my office."

It made Gloria a little less nervous to see Daphne welcome her. Gloria remembered how they hadn't exactly gotten along, and she, along with the other angels, had been worried about approaching these people again. Even after Monica assured her that her job experience was going well, Gloria had still been hesitant. "I wouldn't have missed it," Gloria assured her. "None of us would. Chris was so adorable, and to be honest I was curious to see how he's doing now."

Daphne practically beamed at the compliment. "Well, he should be down here soon. He's been playing with Fi and Katie ever since they got here."

"Fi's here? That's great, but…who's Katie? Another one of his friends?" Gloria asked, pleased that Chris was making so many new friends.

At that, Daphne frowned with confusion and asked, "You don't know?"

"No," Gloria admitted. "Should I?"

Shaking her head, Daphne explained, "I guess it shouldn't surprise me – Monica did say you were working on separate assignments. Katie is the daughter of Tess' assignment, I think. And Emma, Katie's aunt and my assistant, is Monica's. They're both walking around here somewhere…"

"Monica's here? I didn't know that," Gloria nearly squealed with excitement. It felt like she didn't see her best friend often enough these days. And that their assignments were connect so closely was such a nice surprise. "She said she was working tonight, but I thought that meant she wouldn't be able to make it."

"Oh no, she's here. I just saw Andrew as well, and Tess said she'd be a little late – something about car trouble," Daphne replied.

"Gloria!"

The two looked up to see three young children running down the stairs. The one leading the way, Fiona, bounded down the steps and leaped into the angel's arms. "Gloria! I knew you'd be able to make it!"

"Of course I would!" Gloria said, returning the six-year-old's tight hug.

Once they broke apart, Fiona asked, "Is everybody else here?"

"Monica and Andrew are. Tess should be here soon," Gloria answered.

Bouncing up and down from excitement, Fiona asked Daphne, "Where are they?"

"Monica was in the kitchen, last I…" Daphne trailed off as Fiona switched gears and made a beeline to the kitchen. Katie gave them a weak smile and ran after Fiona. "…saw."

"Nowhere near the coffee maker, I hope," Gloria said with a giggle.

Laughing, Daphne assured her, "Andrew told me about that, so I have Adriana keeping a look out. I take it that it's not good for an assignment when the angel is on a caffeine high."

"Not at all, trust me," Gloria said. Realizing that Chris still hadn't approached her, Gloria knelt down to his level. "Hey, Chris. I don't get a hug?"

Chris gave her a shy smile, but gave her a hug that was just as tight as the one Fi had. "I missed you," he said in a near-whisper.

"I missed you too," Gloria replied, hugging back. "Happy Birthday, Chris. How old are you going to be Sunday?"

After a minute, Chris held up five fingers and his index finger on his other hand. "This many."

"That's a lot!" Gloria exclaimed.

Curious, Chris asked, "How old are you?"

"Chris!" Daphne chided, offering Gloria an apologetic frown. "I'm so sorry about…"

"No, it's alright," Gloria assured her, amused by the question herself. While the other angels were much older than they appeared, she was much younger. Turning back to Chris, she answered, "I'm much younger than you probably think I am."

Chris considered her response, then began, "But how –"

"Chris! There you are! Come over here and give Grandma a hug!"

All three heard Sarah Miller's call clear across the room, including Chris, who frowned at the idea of being smothered by his grandmother. Giggling, Gloria insisted, "Go ahead, Chris. We can talk later."

"Okay," Chris said, then with some hesitance made his way over to his grandmother. Both Daphne and Gloria laughed with Sarah wrapped him in a crushing hug, the young boy squirming to make the embrace end as soon as possible.

Moving back into the party, Daphne offered one last comment before returning to her gusts. "I have to say, Gloria, speaking of age – you look amazing."

"Thanks," Gloria replied, knowing Daphne was referring to her recent weight loss. "I got in shape when I had an assignment with a mountain climber for a month. I guess I haven't been in human form enough since then to gain the weight back."

Once Daphne went to talk to more guests, Gloria remembered that Daphne had mentioned where Monica was and headed towards the kitchen. Once she got there, however, she found not her supervisor, but Andrew and Adriana talking. "Hi!"

After greetings were exchanged, Andrew asked, "I saw you come in and would've said hello, but saw you talking to Daphne."

"Yeah, actually, she said Monica was here," Gloria replied, disappointed that it was taking this long to find her best friend. "Do either of you know where she went?"

Adriana shrugged. "About five minutes ago, she gave up on trying to persuade me to move away from the coffee maker. After that I think went to talk to Jacob."

'Oh, thanks," Gloria said, already heading towards the living room.

Looking nervous all of a sudden, Andrew said, "Gloria, wait! I, uh, need to talk to you about something."

Gloria stopped, giving him a curious look while Adriana also raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Andrew?"

"I think I may have done some damage to Monica's assignment," Andrew confessed, his eyes lowered in shame.

Concern for Monica and Emma growing within her, Gloria let out a soft "oh" while she waited for her friend to explain.

* * *

Adriana stood next to Gloria and Andrew, wondering if she should make herself scarce. This sounded like official angel business…whatever that was. But the guilty look on the angel of death's face was making her curiosity get the better of her. "Andrew, what happened?"

"Well, it's an interesting story…" Andrew began, explaining about Elizabeth's insistence that he date her sister.

Grimacing, Adriana remarked, "That must have been awkward. What'd you say?"

"Andrew was shocked speechless," Gloria interrupted, letting out a giggle at the memory while Andrew's face reddened. "The first time, I said that he was 'otherwise committed.' But Elizabeth keeps asking him every once in a while. I don't think she'll stop unless she gets a concrete answer."

"Which you can't give her. And that's why you think you ruined Monica's assignment? Because she'll keep trying to set Andrew up with Emma when she isn't ready?" Adriana guessed. At first she'd laughed at the unlikely situation along with Gloria, but now she calmed down as she realized how this could cause a serious setback to the assignment.

Andrew shook his head. "No. It would be fine, maybe a little uncomfortable for me…and amusing to Gloria…" he added, with a sidelong glance at the blushing angel. "But that wouldn't be a problem. What _is_ a problem is that I…just ran into Emma. Daphne invited her to the party tonight, and after a short conversation she found out that I was the person her sister was trying to set her up with."

"Uh oh," Gloria sighed.

Frowning, Adriana took a second to put two and two together. From what she knew, Emma was having trouble moving on from her divorce, and Elizabeth wasn't making it any easier. If Emma found out that Andrew, who she would undoubtedly view as a cute guy, rejected her, she might take it as a blow to her already-crumbling self-esteem. And it didn't help that Andrew only rejected her because he was an angel, since she wouldn't know that. On top of all that, it would serve to cause more of a rift between Emma and Elizabeth. Swallowing the now-present lump in her throat, Adriana finally nodded. Not knowing what else to say, she added, "Yes, definitely 'uh oh.' What are you two going to do?"

"_We_ can't do anything. It's not our assignment," Andrew answered, regret and dread in his voice. "I guess we'll have to…tell Monica…"

Gloria also looked rather uneasy as she suggested, "You know, maybe giving her coffee wouldn't be a bad idea. That always puts her in a good mood."

"Well, from what I've seen of Monica, I'm sure she won't blame you for any of it. Now _Tess_, on the other hand…you may want to make sure she isn't in the room when you tell Monica," Adriana said. For some reason, the former supervisor angel never failed to intimidate her.

Surveying the living room through the open kitchen doorway, Gloria narrowed her eyes in a particular direction. "Hey, look!"

Adriana did, and instantly saw the problem. Emma was talking with Daphne, an apologetic frown on the younger woman's face and a jacket over her arm. The party had moved to the backyard screen house, so it was just those two in the empty room. "Oh, sh…" Adriana trailed off as she remembered her company and corrected, "…shoot, she's leaving! That's bad, isn't it? I mean, we just had dinner."

"It can't be good. She must have been upset by our run-in earlier," Andrew said, increasing guilt in his features.

"Well, shouldn't you…" Adriana paused, realizing that the angels couldn't do anything. Sighing, she said, "Never mind. I'll handle it," and went off to do so. Maneuvering around party guests, she ended up at Daphne's side without making a sound. "Leaving so soon, Emma?"

Surprised by Adriana's sudden appearance, Emma blinked before replying, "Oh, yes. You know, I promised Liz I'd have Katie back early…"

"Surely she didn't mean for you to leave before cake," Adriana interrupted. She could feel Daphne's curious stare, as if asking, _what's going on with you?_ Ignoring it for the moment, Adriana added, "And I checked in on the kids a half hour ago and saw them starting a DVD. I'm sure Katie wouldn't want to leave before it was over."

Emma stared at them for a second, but finally sighed with reluctance. "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay a little while longer. Uh…is there anything I can help you with?"

At a loss, Adriana glanced at Daphne, who shrugged. Trying to come up with something for Emma to do that would help with the assignment, she thought, _Okay, so maybe I'm not an angel…but Lord, please, a little help would do wonders about now…_

Just as she'd sent up the small prayer, Monica appeared at their side, holding dessert plates in her hand. Adriana blinked in amazement. _Whoa. Now that's what I call a fast response time. Thanks! _"Hey, Monica. What's up?"

"Well, I saw the party was getting restless out there, so I thought Emma here would want to help me set up for dessert," Monica explained.

A little confused by Monica's abrupt appearance, Emma said, "Okay. I'll just…go put my jacket away…"

"Oh, we'll get that for you. You two talk!" Adriana suggested with maybe a bit too much enthusiasm. As she took the jacket from Emma, Monica glanced over her shoulder and gave her a knowing wink.

Once in the bedroom to drop off the jacket, a nearly dazed Daphne rounded on Adriana and exclaimed, "What the he…_heck_ is going on here? What's with you? Is it just me, or did Monica _appear_ out of thin air?"

"Look, let's just get back to the party, and I'll explain everything," Adriana said. At Daphne's still-bewildered look, she sighed. "You know this angel thing? It's not easy."

* * *

Once Adriana and Daphne left the room, Monica stared after them for a moment with an amused smile. It was funny sometimes how former assignments could help with a current one. Now she finally had the opportunity she'd been praying for – a chance for a conversation with Emma. While the angel didn't think she'd be revealing herself quite yet, this would provide opportunity that she desperately needed if she ever hoped to get this assignment done in the next month. Putting the cake plates on the buffet table, Monica indicated the various dinner food left and suggested, "Why don't you help me clear all this off first?"

"Alright," Emma replied, starting to gather some of the trays. There was awkward silence as the two began cleaning up the living room.

Monica cleared her throat, then asked, "So, why were you trying to leave earlier? From what I've seen, it's a great party."

"Oh, it is. I just had an…awkward run in earlier. My sister has been trying to set me up with this guy, and he happened to be at this party," Emma explained, turning a light shade of red from embarrassment.

Giving her a reassuring smile, Monica assured her, "That's nothing to be ashamed about. Why don't you go out with him?"

"That's what's so embarrassing – he keeps telling Liz 'no.' I just can't believe she would do that to me…it's just more proof that I'm not ready to try this dating thing yet," Emma answered, letting out a deep sigh.

Monica pressed on, thinking that if her assignment was to help Emma get over her divorce, this would be a step in the right direction. "Don't give up! Maybe he has his reasons, or is just against blind dates. I'm sure it's nothing personal. What's his name?"

Not looking Monica in the eye, Emma answered, "Andrew." Then she grabbed a few dirty dishes and made a beeline for the kitchen garbage.

"Wait, who's Andrew?" Monica called, thinking it had to be someone she didn't know. After all, the only Andrew she knew was an angel of death, and surely…

Emma poked her head into the living room from the kitchen, her face now bright red. "Your friend, Andrew. I, uh, didn't want to say because I thought you'd be mad or get defensive."

"What? I don't have a friend named…" Monica began, then she trailed off as her eyes widened. Slowly but surely, it all clicked into place. _Uh oh, this is a wee bit awkward, isn't it?_ Now that she thought about it, her mind flashed back to maybe a half hour ago, when Andrew and Gloria had tried to approach her. She'd said hello to Gloria, but then been distracted when Daphne needed help with something. And Andrew did mention he was now working as Liz's assistant.

Remembering that Emma was expecting an answer, she tried to wipe the surprise off her face as she managed to reply, "_Oh_, t-that Andrew…yeah, um, he…he…didn't want to tell you…" _Come on, Monica, think! Something that isn't a lie and won't crush her…_

"What? What couldn't he tell me," Emma insisted, her arms folded across her stomach, "other than that he just doesn't like me?"

"He's committed his life to God!" Monica finally blurted, unable to come up with anything else.

At that, Emma's jaw dropped and she exclaimed, "He's a _priest_? Oh my God, my sister tried to hook me up with a priest! I'm mortified…oh, God, I'm going to hell…"

"You're not going to hell. And I'm sure Liz didn't know…he, ah, doesn't advertise it," Monica replied, realizing that the conclusion Emma had come to worked out best. Following Emma into the kitchen, she added, "And at least now you know it's not you! I bet you wouldn't need your sister to set you up if you took off that wedding ring."

Calming down somewhat, Emma leaned on the kitchen counter, looking at her wedding ring and twisting it around on her finger. "I-I don't know, Monica. What if I do, and I don't find anyone? That's what's holding me back the most. I've been over Shawn for a long time."

"Well, you don't know unless you try," Monica pointed out.

"I know. It's just that…I'm afraid to," Emma confessed. "I'm afraid to try and make a life for myself. I had one…and it crumbled. It's so easy to fall back on work, and now just hang out with Liz. Especially now that Liz is here all the time…I think it's always been her, more than anything."

Monica didn't say anything for a moment, processing the information. She had thought this assignment was going to be about helping Emma getting over her divorce and finding love again. But she was beginning to think she jumped to conclusions. It was entirely possible that this wasn't about Shawn at all, but about Emma working out her difficult relationship with her sister. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, Emma explained, "I don't know, she's…she's always there. I can always hang out with her, she'll basically make my decisions for me if I ask, she always knows what to do… I mean, I know it's not healthy, but I just don't have the fire in me anymore."

_Now I get it. I'm definitely here to help with her and her sister. But what am I going to say?_ Monica thought, leaning against the counter. She jumped back up again when she felt something cold and sharp. "Ouch!" It was a ring of keys. Holding them up, Monica asked, "Are those yours?"

"Yeah, sorry about that…Monica, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just…dizzy…" Monica gripped the counter for support as she was bombarded with images. They were all of her and Emma, in a dark parking lot…

_After all, she was on her way to meet an assignment – who was in such bad shape on Christmas Eve that he or she needed help from an angel._

"_Father," she whispered in prayer, bringing her car around as she continued to drive through the parking lot. "Please give me the ability to help whichever of your children you have sent me to on this holiest of nights. Thank you, Amen."_

_As if in response, the silence was once again broken by a loud sound. It wasn't a horn, though. It was the sound of glass breaking…_

_It was a woman who looked no older than thirty, wearing boots, jeans, and an old brown winter coat. Her black hair tied back in a pony-tail, the woman wiped a loose strand of hair out of her cold gray eyes. Then she tightened her grip on a metal baseball bat and aimed for the red, flashy sports car's remaining headlight next to her._

"_Wait, don't!" Monica shouted, running toward the woman who had to be her assignment…_

"_You're okay now though, right?" Monica asked, worried that Emma might resume her activities once the angel left._

_Nodding, Emma answered, "Yeah, I'm okay. I think I just needed someone to talk me down. Thanks…oh, I don't even know your name. I'm sorry, I don't usually tell my life story to complete strangers."_

"_It's Monica, and don't worry about it," Monica laughed._

_Emma looked down, now embarrassed. "No, I'm really sorry. You shouldn't have had to…"_

"_It's alright," Monica insisted. "You're hurting right now, and it seems that the only way to heal is revenge. But, I promise that revenge is never the answer. The way to heal is through God. Pray for the strength to handle your emotions in a positive way, and He will carry you through."_

_Staring at the angel with uncertainty, Emma asked, "You really think that will work?"_

"_I know it will," Monica assured her with a smile. "Now, check your phone messages. And…Merry Christmas, Emma."_

_Confused, Emma glanced down as she took her phone out of her pocket. "Check my messages? Hey, I never told you my…"_

_She trailed off as she looked up. Monica was gone._

Monica gasped, staring at Emma and thinking of her in a new light. That's_ where I know Emma from! _She thought in surprise. _She was my assignment on Christmas Eve! But why couldn't I remember…_

Looking at her with concern, Emma said, "Monica, Monica! Are you alright? What's the matter?"

"No, I'm fine…" Monica insisted, still bewildered.

To the angel's surprise, Emma chuckled and assured her, "Oh, I get it. Daphne's punch will do that to you every time. I can't tell you how much she has to tone the alcohol content down for office parties."

Monica opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it. Since she couldn't give the real reason for her dizziness, she'd let Emma think what she wanted to think. "Sure. But, Emma, trust me – that fire is in there somewhere. You just need to let it burn."

"I think you might be right about that. And it would help if I took my wedding ring off, like you said," Emma said. Then she took the wedding ring off her finger and held it up. "Liz has been badgering me to take this off. This is the last time I'm listening to her." With that, she put the ring back in her pocket and headed back into the living room. "I'll finish up in here – you can get the desserts ready, okay?"

"Oh…alright," Monica replied, overwhelmed by what she'd just witnessed. _This isn't right_, she thought. _I did my job but…it's not over. Not over at all._


End file.
